Welcome to the page on mental health in the context of the LGBTQ+ community! We have focused on the narrowed group of college students for our project, and this section will cover specifically college students in the LGBTQ+ community.

What will this LibGuide cover?

-  Discussion of mental health in the Women and Gender Studies Department

-  Resources to help LGBTQ+ students cope with homophobia and other mental health concerns

-  Information about Drew University's policies surrounding the LGBTQ+ community

-  An article from the Drew Acorn discussing mental health within the LGBTQ+ community on campus

In this section, read how Professor Wendy Kolmar from the Women and Gender Studies Department answers questions pertaining to mental health on campus in general and specifically with LGBTQ+ students.

-  When discussing the general observations that she has made of the mental health in college students, she made many points about the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on students now entering college. She explained that she has seen seemingly increased levels of anxiety and stress in students who experienced the COVID-19 pandemic. She discussed how the loss of influential growing years throughout upper grade school levels and high school has hindered students abilities to cope with stress and anxiety, especially as they transition to college.

-  We then talked about the ways that the Women and Gender Studies Department provides mental health support to its students. She explained that there are not specific programs or events to increase mental health support within the department, but they do take on an informal approach of offering support. She ensured that the professors within the department offer safe spaces for students to share their thoughts and inner struggles with like-minded people who likely understand what they are going through.

-  I then asked her if she has noticed any progress on how Drew University treats those in the LGBTQ+ community and deals with homophobia. She first talked me through the obvious policy changes which prove the University has progressed. Changes like the preferred gender bathroom signs, gender neutral housing, preferred name option in the systems, and faculty trainings surrounding these topics. She also stated that the school is particularly progressive when hearing issues concerning transgender people, and that the mechanisms are in place to set in motion the steps people in the community need to feel safe, the university just needs to follow through. The last major point she made is that SAGA, the Sexuality and Gender Alliance at Drew University, has been fading away in recent years. She explained how they used to be extremely active, talking about homophobia and its consequences in classes to spread awareness and having frequent events. Now, they are much less active on campus, leading to lower progress in the student body itself.

-  Our next topic was that of the stigma surrounding mental health and surrounding the fluidity of sexuality and gender. She explained to me that the policies within the University do well to fight stigma around sexuality and gender. There are many set in place to give students what they need to feel comfortable, as well as to react to negative actions against the LGBTQ+ community. Along with this, she said that the university is overall receptive to policy changes, especially those surrounding issues in the LGBTQ+ community. However, she also told me about how she believes that the most essential part of these policies is the implementation of them and how they are carried out by students and staff. For example, she explained how faculty need to put more effort into every space on campus being a safe space for those in the LGBTQ+ community to share their thoughts and opinions.